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Running Head: A LIFE IN FOOD

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A life in Food
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A LIFE IN FOOD

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A life in Food

For most cultures, Food is a form of retaining cultural identity. This paper will briefly
summarize Food in two different cultures- Chinese and African (Nigerian) to understand the role
that Food plays in cultural identities from interviews conducted for these two groups.
The first interviewee, whose culture is Chinese, has lived in America the whole of her
life. However, the parents are immigrants from China who have settled here with different
extended family members. The interviewee noted that one thing that is different between their
culture and that of the American people is their upholding of community value. They believe in
upholding collectivism and can live as people of different generations under the same roof. Food
is also different from the American culture. The interviewee noted that it is an integral part of
their daily life and a general positive feeling about Food, especially now that they were miles
away from their homeland (Ma, 2018). The Chinese people's shared belief is that good Food can
bring harmony and closeness to the family. There is also value for fresh Food in this culture, and
therefore, they will tend to go out shopping for foods daily to pick what is in season and what is
fresh. This behavior also fosters closeness among the Chinese families as they go on these
shopping sprees with their family members.
On food allergies, the interviewee noted that most of the family members were lactose
intolerant and therefore substituted regular animal milk with soy milk. This is a common
occurrence for most Chinese people. The other element that the interviewee discussed was
religious preferences. There are people of different religious affiliations in China. However, the
interviewee did not have any dietary restrictions according to religion, although they noted that
they mostly used Cantonese recipes while preparing their meals. In Chinese culture, the cuisines
are divided according to the region, although the most common is the Cantonese cuisine.

A LIFE IN FOOD
It is also important to note that they consume large amounts of vegetables and white
meat, where red meat is occasionally consumed. The most exciting aspect of the culture is the
Chinese Banquets. This is even the most exciting part of childhood that the interviewee
remembers. Banquets are dinners that occur on special occasions, including but not limited to
weddings, birthdays, unique visitors in the town, among others. The interviewee's favorite
banquet is the Chinese New Year celebrations. These banquets are full of laughter and are a
perfect moment for bonding as there are about ten people seated around every table. The dishes
served are about 10 to 12, promoting harmony among the Chinese people.
The other interviewee was from the African and particularly the Nigerian culture. The
culture is also collectivist, with mixed religions of majority Muslims and Christians. The
interviewee was a Christian, and therefore there were lesser restrictions in terms of the Food
consumed. When most people think about Nigerian Food, they think of Joloff rice and Garri.
There is also the common notion that African countries will be laden with food insecurity,
famine, and hunger. Thus, the assumption would be that every Nigerian has probably
experienced food insecurity. The interviewee noted that while there are severe food insecurity
cases, they had never experienced it first hand and had only heard of other individuals going
through the same. It is dependent on the social status or the state of residence.
Further, it was quite eye-opening to realize that there are over 250 tribes in Nigeria, and
they all have their own food cultures and customs. It is usually the wife's responsibility in most
Nigerian homes to prepare meals while the husband provides money for purchasing the Food
(Ayoknmbi, 2017). This has evolved with the changing gener...